The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Azalea, botanically known as Rhododendron hybrida, an evergreen greenhouse-forcing type, and hereinafter referred to by the name `Irish Lace`.
The new Azalea is a product of a planned breeding program conducted by the inventor in Alva, Fla. The objective of the breeding program is to create new Azalea varieties having uniform plant habit and uniform flowering, numerous flowers, good foliage retention during the cooling and forcing periods, and excellent postproduction longevity.
The new Azalea originated from a cross made by the inventor in Alva, Fla., of the non-patented commercial cultivar `Jacinth` as the female, or seed, parent with the commercial cultivar `Solitaire` (disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 3,171) as the male, or pollen, parent.
Compared to plants of the dark pink, double-flowered cultivar `Jacinth`, plants of the new Azalea are more vigorous, have better foliage retention, and have greenish-white single to semi-double hose-in-hose flowers.
In addition to flower color, plants of the new Azalea are more uniform, symmetrical and compact than plants of the pink-flowered cultivar `Solitaire`. Additionally, plants of the new Azalea have more ruffled petal margins than plants of the cultivar `Solitaire` and resist leaf curl that is occasionally observed on plants of the cultivar `Solitaire`.
The new Azalea was discovered and selected by the inventor as a flowering plant within the progeny of the stated cross in a controlled environment in Alva, Fla., on Sep. 28, 1994. The selection of this plant was based on its desirable flower color, profuse and uniform flowering, improved foliage retention, uniform plant habit and good postproduction longevity.
Asexual reproduction of the new Azalea by terminal cuttings taken in a controlled environment in Alva, Fla., has shown that the unique features of this new Azalea are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations.
The new Azalea has not been observed under all possible environmental conditions. The phenotype may vary somewhat with variations in environment such as temperature, daylength, light intensity, nutrition and water status without, however, any variance in genotype.